by Cece Rose
“Sorry, love, you'll have to stay with me for a little while,” he whispers back gently, and then I feel the pressure hitting in my head. I lose consciousness within seconds, not even hearing a pop.
Chapter 22
I wake from sleep suddenly, thrashing and pushing myself upright in the bed. My eyes fly open and I look around, seeing that I'm on a familiar four-poster bed. My breathing is heavy, and I try to calm it before considering doing anything else. Once it's under control, I creep out through the gap in the hanging fabric at the bottom of the bed.
“Abby?” I call, wondering where the pixie could have gotten herself to now. I check the pocket of my jacket which is hanging on the back of a chair, but there’s no sign of her. Crap, I hope she’s just hiding from Adam somewhere. Spotting some folded clothes on a chest that is across from me, I walk over and check them out. Women's clothing, and my size. I try not to dwell on the fact Adam seems to have an abundance of women's clothing lying around. I notice the tags on the clothing, and pull them off. Why would he buy this? How did he buy this?
I sigh, resigning myself to the fact I could really use a change of clothes. I glance at the doors, I know the door one side goes to the hallway, and on the other one leads to a walk-in wardrobe. Maybe the one next to it leads to an ensuite? I could use a shower, too. Yup, just gonna take a shower at a demon’s house, nothing unusual there at all.
I push open the other door, and find the most beautiful bathroom I've ever seen. Black marble walls and floor. A long counter takes up one wall, with two sinks in and a huge mirror is stretching along the wall above the counter top. At the most central point of the room are white marble steps that lead up to a bathtub, if you can even call it a bathtub, it's big enough to freaking swim in. Behind the bathtub, on the back far wall, is a large walk-in shower, that could easily fit ten people. Who the hell needs a bathroom this big?
Shutting and locking the door behind me, I cross over to the large bathtub, walking up the steps. I glance between the shower and the tub. A shower would be quicker, more efficient, but fuck, if this next task kills me, I'll regret not taking a soak in this thing. I look around for controls, eventually finding a panel to control it. I click to fill the tub with hot water, and water gushes out quickly from two of the sides. I hadn't even noticed the gap in the marble, the sleek way it's designed. Searching the bathroom, I find a mixture of bath salts, and products; I even find a luxurious and expensive looking bubble bath. I snort. Why the hell does a demon own bubble bath? I find several bottles of the expensive-looking product and shrug, taking them all over to the bath with me. I tip every drop in from the five bottles. Looking around I find a couple towels and put them in reach of the bath, just in case. I spot an odd-looking cupboard, and wander over, tugging it open. I find it's chilled inside, and filled to the brim with booze. I laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“Now booze in the bathroom, that I expected,” I mutter to myself, once I regain some composure as I snag a bottle of wine. After slamming the door shut again, I find a corkscrew, but no damn glasses wherever I look. Glancing over, I notice the bathtub has filled, shrugging, I pop the cork and head to the tub, turning off the flow of water. The bubbles have frothed an insane amount, spilling out over the top of the bath. I set the opened bottle down next to the tub, and then peel off my clothes, throwing them across the room. Quickly making my way into the hot, bubble-covered water, I sink down up to my neck, quickly finding a comfortable spot to lie back. My muscles relax, the hot water working some kind of healing magic on them as I soak. I reach over and grab the bottle, taking a few swigs directly from it. The wine doesn't taste great, but I can feel it having the desired effect as I feel my cheeks go rosy, as they always do when I drink. Looking up at the ceiling, I catch my reflection. The entire ceiling above the tub has been covered in a giant ornate-looking mirror. The edges of the mirror are encased in a beautiful silver frame.
“Who the fuck puts a mirror above their bathtub?” I say to myself, before shaking my head in dismay. I'd rather not think about what reasons he'd have for that; thinking about the things that might have occurred in this tub while I'm trying to relax doesn't leave me feeling the cleanest. I take another swig of the wine, and then put the bottle back down. I let my eyes close as I lean up against an edge of the tub, finding there's a comfy grove to lie back in. My worries seem to drift away as I find myself growing sleepy again. A quiet voice whispers that falling asleep in a bathtub this big probably isn't safe, but I'm too damn comfortable to care.
Gasping for breath, I feel hands under my arms hauling me up and out of the water. I cough, spluttering out the water in my mouth. Thrashing in their arms, I try to grab hold of something, not wanting to go under again. I grab onto the side of the tub, feeling awareness creep back into me. I fell asleep in the freaking bathtub! Taking deep breaths, I glance around, suddenly very thankful for all the bubbles that are currently the only thing covering me.
“Why the bloody hell are you taking a nap in the bath, do you have a death wish, dove?” Adam says as he sits back on the floor by the tub.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I glance around looking for something better to cover myself with, spotting the towels, which are unfortunately right next to Adam. Why does the red-eyed asshole have to keep walking in on me in the bathroom?
“Saving your life apparently; I seem to be quite good at that. Not that you appreciate it, ungrateful fool,” he answers.
“What I don't appreciate is the fact you keep walking in on me when I'm freaking naked,” I snap, darting my arm forward and grabbing one of the towels. I wrap it around myself under the water; feeling instantly more comfortable now I have a layer of fabric covering me.
“So next time you don't answer when I shout for you, I'm to let you drown?” he asks sarcastically.
I internally groan, not wanting to admit that he has a point. “Just stop walking in on me,” I grumble quietly. I reach for the bottle of wine, and take a swig of it, and then lean back against the side of the tub again.
“You just make yourself at home, don't you?”
“Might as well,” I answer, shutting my eyes and attempting to ignore the demon. The water is still hot, and I intend to try and make the most of my bath. Although, I plan to keep myself awake this time. A repeat of that would be just plain embarrassing. The water sloshing makes my eyes fly back open, and I gape across at the other side of the bathtub. More specifically, I stare at the freaking demon that's just climbed into the tub with me. He's still fully dressed in one of his stupid suits, thankfully. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Making myself at home, considering this is my home, my bathroom, and my bathtub.” He scoops up some bubbles in his hand and frowns at them, before blowing them at my face. I wipe them away, glaring at him. If looks could kill, his heart would have surely stopped. “My bubbles,” he adds, glancing at the empty bottles on the side with an unhappy expression. Damn, I really hope they are as expensive as they look.
“You're just deliberately difficult, aren't you?” I groan.
“Difficult?”
“Yes, I just wanted to take freaking bath in peace and you have to come in and ruin it.”
“I've personally always found baths to be much more relaxing when taken with another person,” he drawls. Clutching the top of the towel to keep it in place, I stand and get out of the tub.
“You're not a person.” I stroll to the door, grabbing my clothes off the side as I pass.
“You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? That I'm a soulless monster?” he asks, as I’m grabbing a dry towel to take with me.
“Hit the nail on the head,” I mutter, as I walk out the room. I throw the door shut behind me, cutting off any response he might try and give.
After quickly drying off, I change into the clean clothes faster than I ever have gotten changed before. I keep my eyes on the bathroom door the whole time, making sure he doesn’t come in, which thankfully, he doesn't.
Wanting to put some space between me and the demon, I make my way for the door, figuring I can wander around his house while he's in there. I spot some trainers by the doorway and slide them on, bending down to quickly tie the laces. The shoes are also a perfect fit. Ugh.
After exiting the room, I look both ways down the hall not sure which way to go. I shrug my shoulders and head right. A small figure steps out of a room as I'm coming up to it.
“Kai?” I call quietly, but he ignores me, picking up his pace as he runs in the other direction. What the hell? I chase after him, wanting to make sure he's okay. “Kai!” I call a little louder, and he looks over his shoulder, then trips up on the carpet. Shit. He falls right over his feet landing in a heap on the floor. He doesn't cry out like most kids tend to when they fall, he just quickly sits up, looking at me with his wide brown eyes.
“Are you okay, Kai? It's just me, Mona,” I say softly, as I approach him slowly. Wanting to get closer, so I can make sure he's okay.
“I'm f-fine,” he says, his bottom lip trembling a little.
“Shh, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you; I'm not like them,” I say gently, I crouch down on the floor so I'm more on level with him.
“I'm not allowed to talk to other people, it's not safe,” he says quietly, looking down at the ground.
“I'm not like the other people in this world, Kai. I promise.” I can't help but notice Christian's necklace is gone, and a sick feeling pools in my stomach. I knew it was likely Adam would take it away, considering it looks like halflings aren't allowed to have anything personal here.
“You might not be you, they can look like anyone,” he whispers.
“I'm me, I promise. I gave you a necklace, didn't I?” I say, and he nods. “The necklace belonged to a friend of mine once, and it had some words on the back of it. Do you believe I'm me now?” I ask.
“Yes,” he answers simply, and he seems to relax a tiny bit. I sit back on the floor and cross my legs.
“What happened to the necklace?” I ask gently, not wanting to upset him, but needing to know all the same. He looks at me curiously for a moment, as if trying to make up his little mind about something.
“You can't tell Master Adramelech,” he says, giving me a child-like serious look. I could almost laugh, the expression on his face is just so normal. Not the fear, or blankness he's shown before.
“I pinky swear I won't tell a soul,” I say, holding out my hand with my little finger extended. He links his with mine, and then pulls his hand back. He reaches up to his neck, and grabs something I can't see. I see a glint of shine as he turns the invisible pendant, making it visible as it turns. I gape at him. Did he just do magic?
“I still have it right here, but you can't tell anyone,” he says, his eyes seeming to widen with the worry that I'll share his secret.
“I promise, I really won't tell anyone. We pinky sweared and everything,” I say to him, and he nods. “Did you do that? Make it invisible?” I ask. Maybe this is why Adam has such an interest in me? His own halfling servant might be like me. He shakes his head, and I feel the disappointment roll through me.
“Master Adramelech did it. He said I had to make sure nobody else ever saw it, but that I could keep it if I was careful and kept it hidden. He put magic in it,” he says. I watch him curiously as he talks. He doesn't seem to be afraid of Adam at all when he mentions him. He was worried about him being angry, but it wasn't the way you'd worry if you were actually scared of the person. I catch the words on the pendant and something curious flickers on my mind.
“Who taught you to read?” I ask, pointing at the words.
“Master Adramelech. I couldn’t read very well before, he said it was very bad,” he answers. I chew on my lip contemplating that, when I hear footsteps behind me.
“Firefly, what are you doing sitting on the floor with the help?” Adam drawls as he strolls down the corridor. I look at Kai and notice he's already flipped the pendant back, and he's looking at me intently as if waiting for me to spill the secret.
“Kai fell over, I was just making sure he was okay,” I say, as I stand up. I go to offer Kai a hand, but he's already standing.
“Don't worry yourself about that, dove. Now head down to the library, we need to talk.”
“See you later, Kai,” I say, waving at him, and attempting to give him a bright smile, but it's so forced. He smiles slightly back, too, before heading in the opposite direction to me. I clench my hands as I walk back past Adam. I'm furious at him keeping Kai here. He belongs in the human realm, with a nice family somewhere, with lots of friends, and a good school... I feel so bad that there is nothing I can do to help him. Silently, I make a promise to myself. I may not be able to save Kai today, but I would get him out of here. I'd find a way to hide him, like someone had hidden me.
Turning over my shoulder, I look at Adam, instead of following me he's gone after Kai, and he's talking to him. He's crouched down, elbows resting on his knees as they talk. I chew on my lip as I consider the sight. Adam isn't hurting the kid, from what I can see, but that doesn't make keeping him here right. I sigh, and turn away, continuing in what I hope is the direction of the library I'd been in on my last visit here. Please let this one be the last.
Chapter 23
“Stop bloody panicking, dove. You can do this,” Adam says as he watches me pace angrily across the empty, cold room.
“Stop panicking? Are you freaking kidding me? I have to fight, not one, not two, but three things to pass this freaking test? How is that fair, that's three frickin tests in itself!”
“It will be fine. You destroyed an entire labyrinth with ease. You can surely beat your opponents here,” he drawls, seemingly unconcerned.
“Yes, but in the labyrinth, I could set a circle and hide in it. You told me circles are against the rules in the arena!” I snap.
“It is against the rules, there's not exactly anything I can do about that, now is there? Stop being so melodramatic.”
“I can't do this,” I whisper, looking away from him, as he, too begins to pace back and forth across the room. His feet are light on the hard, concentre floor, his pacing appears to be from impatience with me, rather than the anxiety that has me going back and forth. I stop, leaning against one of the cold walls, facing towards it and away from him as I rest my forehead against the cold stone.
“You either do this, or you die. There isn't another option here,” he says plainly.
“Then maybe I die, but that's got be better than being stuck here in literal hell. Maybe I'll end up somewhere better, I wasn't a bad person,” I reply, I hear him step closer behind me and pause from his pacing, his breath hitting right on the back of my neck.
“If you want to go to heaven, already, love, I could take you there far more easily than this. I can guarantee it would be a lot more enjoyable, too,” he whispers in my ear. I pull away and turn around to face him, surprised to see actual heat in his gaze, and not just the teasing flirtation I normally expect from him.
“Yes, because I'm sure screwing a demon counts as a divine kind of experience,” I retort sarcastically, quickly turning back away, before he can see the heat I can feel rising into my cheeks. Shit, demons don't play fair.
“Well, they do like to say demons come from angels, so perhaps it's not that far from it,” he says, his voice more teasing and flirtatious again. The mood shifts back so quickly, I can just pretend that it never happened. Or at least convince myself that I have, but I still can't turn around and face him. Instead I stare at the grey stone wall, the rough surface of it looks to be covered in a dried crimson crust in places. I try not to dwell on why that is. Nope, not going there.
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“Why are you helping me? It made sense at first, X dies, and you don't get the blame. But why not just let them kill me, you'd have been done and free? And yet, you help me at every obstacle?” I ask, not able to keep the questions in anymore. I still don’t turn to face him though.
“The other demons act a certain way because they haven't evolved, they haven't changed with the times. I change, I progress, because I honestly believe that is not only how one survives, but how they thrive. You could be the start of change for demons, Firefly. You're a demon, but not; a better version of us, perhaps. A version that I want for us all. One that can adapt to the new times, one that can walk in the sun, one that—”
“You think you can use me to walk in the sun,” I say, cutting him off. “That's what this is about, you want to figure out how to get away from here, don't you? I can tell that you hate it here, that's why you spend so much time in the human realm at night,” I accuse.
“Is that all you think of me, love? A monster that wants to use you for the sunlight?” he asks. His voice is low, a deadly knife edge compared to his usually velvety tones.
“That's what you are, aren't you? A demon that would do anything for his own gain? You're just the same as the rest of them, Adam. You bitch about them being so much worse than you, but you've done the same as they have. You've killed people, you've kept slaves. You've got a halfling slave right now, a freaking child!” I snap, choosing to channel my frustration at myself, at him instead. He grabs my arm and whirls me around to face him. I look up into his snake-like, glowing red eyes, there's no heat there now, just burning anger.
“You understand nothing about Kai,” he growls.
“You’re right, clearly I don’t, because I cannot understand why anyone would think it’s okay to do that.” I pull away from him, turning around to walk away from him. He grabs my shoulder just as the large metal door opens.